MANILA -- As father of the nation, President Rodrigo Duterte should get encouragement not only from his fellow public servants but also from every Filipino, an official of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Friday.
PNP spokesperson Senior Supt. Benigno Durana Jr. made this comment on Duterte's statement that he wants to step down out of exasperation over persistent corruption and the illegal drug problem.
“I think not only the PNP, but the rest of the Filipino people should encourage our father. As our father, as our leader, we have to make sure that we should not contribute to his already monumental problems,” Durana said in a Palace press briefing on the war on drugs.
He said the PNP has been doing its best to make sure that the President’s relentless anti-illegal drugs campaign is properly implemented despite some scalawags in uniform.
“That’s why whatever the priorities of our President (are), we give focus on it and as much as possible, not to give him a lot of headaches,” Durana said.
“We can go long distances in our journey as a nation if we’ll support and encourage our leader – in this case, our President,” he added.
Durana said the PNP leadership is empowered to their job, which he never experienced in his 30 years in public service.
“Unlike before, there are a lot of political influences. But now, the President has given almost a free hand to the leadership of the PNP to do their job,” he said.
He said Duterte has increased the annual budget of the PNP capacity enhancement program from PHP2 million to PHP6 million, aside from doubling policemen’s monthly pay.
“In my 30 years in the service, we’re just being given lip service by the previous administration. Not this time. This government has taken real good care of our uniformed services now,” Durana said.
“That’s why our Chief of the PNP (Oscar Alayalde) said to the rest of the PNP, 'Now is the time to really take good care of the Filipino people,’” he added.
Durana said Duterte was spot-on in concentrating on the war on drugs, a policy considered by 69 percent of the Filipinos as the most important achievement of the government.
“He is spot-on on a very issue that matters most to the majority of the Filipino people. Government exists based on the needs and expectation of the Filipino people,” he said. (PNA)
